MV Hiyu

[Barnacle]

Oct 23, 2016 22:14:22 GMT -8 compdude787 said:

I'm afraid that Lummi Island isn't going to get it. The county seems to be dragging their feet when it comes to replacing the Whatcom Chief.

There's been a long and fairly circular discussion about this earlier in the thread.  I personally don't believe that the HIYU would be a good fit for Lummi... draft issues, crewing issues, reconfiguration-of-dock issues on both ends of the run, all for a boat that's a whopping five years newer than the Whatcom Chief.

[lifc]

No, the HIYU will work just fine here,.

1. Draft is not an issue, will work fine as is, County report used the wrong figures, not unloaded and design draft. Big loads will need to be restricted, initially, at low water.

2. Total crew of three, 100 Tonne Master, 2 deckhands with free 100 tonne Congressional Re-rate. Four as H Class boat, 500 tonne Master, 3 deck crew. Crewing requirements gotten from USCG, for Hale Pass route.

3. Dock costs only 600K to 2.2 million for reconfiguration, for larger boats up to SteilacoomII size, called for in 2011 Ferry Task Force Report. Not the inflated/unrealistic, wasteful,  7-11 million the County put forth.

4. Whatcom Chief at 170% of life span, this years repairs were over 525K, won't carry usual traffic, all road legal loads, overloaded, leaving behind revenues, restricting commerce. HIYU, five years newer, has less than 1/5th the docking cycles, rebuilt structure, has 45% of life span left after rebuild, engines at half life - will outlast the boat, will carry all traffic and loads.

Sure it would be nice to get a New Ferry, County does not have the money, no grants available, HIYU free, yes, some things will need to be adjusted. Can you pull the 10-12 million out of your pocket for a new boat?

The County Executive wants a 100 million dollar new Jail, refuses to acknowledge any different information, until then, he wants no changes to anything.

[EGfleet]

Make an offer: Two ferries still up for auction

By Ed Friedrich of the Kitsap Sun

SEATTLE — Prices have been reduced on two retired state ferries.

After receiving no bids in two weeks on the state surplus site, the Hiyu and Evergreen State are now being advertised on a national website called GovDeals.

Though the site states that the minimum bid for the 34-car Hiyu and 87-car Evergreen State is $50,000 each, but Washington State Ferries spokesman Ian Sterling said the state won't actually sell its boats that cheap. The minimum bids have been lowered, however, from $300,000 to $200,000 for the Hiyu and from $450,000 to $300,000 for the Evergreen State. They were listed Wednesday and will be available for two weeks with the possibility of an extension.

A listing on the state's own surplus sales website drew interest, but no buyers, Washington State Ferries' Tim McGuigan said. A nonprofit group affiliated with the University of Washington considered the Evergreen State as a marine mammal rescue, rehabilitation and research vessel. Tanks for the animals would be kept on the car deck and the passenger deck turned into classroom space. But the university would need someplace to keep a 310-foot ship.

"Mooring is the biggest obstacle for any vessel acquisition," McGuigan said.

A Texas energy firm inquired about buying both boats for housing in South America, and was trying to secure financing.

Washington State Ferries reserved the right to negotiate a deal with them outside of GovDeals.

WSF estimates it could get $462,000 from scrapping the boats, but that would be a last resort. It would prefer that the vessels be used in the marine or commercial retail industries.

Right now, the boats are just in the way.

"The moorage spaces at Eagle Harbor (maintenance facility) are badly needed for fleet maintenance," McGuigan said. "There's some urgency in trying to free them up."

The Hiyu, built in 1967, is not that old by ship standards. The ferries system just outgrew it. It's too small to be of much service on any of the routes and at 9 knots also too slow. The Evergreen State is a more practical size, but is 62 years old. They have become expendable as WSF added three new 64-car ferries and two 144-car vessels in the past six years with two more 144s under construction.

www.kitsapsun.com/news/local/make-an-offer-two-ferries-still-up-for-auction-41d396b3-d4f1-32e3-e053-0100007f5ea3-404082406.html

[lavalamp]

The Hiyu has been sold, per WSF press release.  Official transfer is Wednesday.

Retired state ferry is sold to local business owner

SEATTLE – Washington State Ferries announced today the sale of its smallest retired ferry, Hiyu, to Menagerie Inc. The 50-year-old ferry officially changes hands Wednesday, Feb. 8, when it will be towed from the Eagle Harbor maintenance yard. The new owner plans to repurpose the vessel as a floating entertainment venue.

“We make every effort to keep our retired ferries operational, instead of being sold for scrap,” said WSF Chief of Staff Elizabeth Kosa. “I’m pleased the Hiyu will continue to serve Washingtonians on the water in her second life as a floating entertainment locale.”

At only 162-feet-long, the Hiyu is considered by many to be the among cutest and most cherished ferries in WSF history. She had a good run from 1967 until 2016, but with only a 34-vehicle capacity, lack of ADA accommodations and high maintenance costs, the Hiyu outlived her usefulness to move people and goods across Puget Sound.

The Hiyu has served several different routes, most notably the Point Defiance/Tahlequah and San Juan Islands inter-island routes. After being put in storage in the late 1990s for over a decade, the Hiyu reemerged in recent years as a relief vessel and has become known and loved as “baby Hiyu.” The Hiyu’s last sailing was July 23, 2015.

“Baby” Hiyu is scheduled to be towed from WSF’s Eagle Harbor shipyard at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 8. The public can see the ferry travel through the Lake Washington Ship Canal and the Chittenden Locks in Ballard on its way to its new home on Lake Union.

Hiyu is one of two state ferries retired and put up for sale in 2016. She sold for $150,000. WSF is in negotiation with parties interested in purchasing the second ferry, Evergreen State, however no firm sale agreements are in place yet.

Washington State Ferries, a division of the Washington State Department of Transportation, is the largest ferry system in the U.S. and safely and efficiently carries 24 million people a year through the most majestic scenery in the world. For breaking news and the latest information follow WSF on Twitter.

[flyzapper]

It looks like the Hiyu will become a floating artistic and entertainment venue in Lake Union.

"Crellin, the founder and “ringmaster” of performance art group Circus Contraption, said the trio plan to hold “a circus and cabaret on the high seas” with “cutting-edge performance and live music.” They also plan to offer the boat for rent and special events, like weddings, corporate get-togethers and art projects."

www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/new-life-new-home-for-ferry-hiyu/

[SS San Mateo]

[FNS]

Welcome to your new phase of life, MV HIYU!

For the folks up on Lummi Island, nice try.  It's back to the drawing boards for them to find a new replacement ferry, for the aging MV WHATCOM CHIEF, suitable for safer crossings on their route to the Whatcom County mainland.

[EGfleet]

For anyone interested... the Hiyu is current northbound. 
Barnacle reports her destination is Canada, though he doesn't know where in Canada.  She's just past (as of 9:38) Burrows Island near Anacortes.

[Low Light Mike]

Mar 19, 2017 8:39:23 GMT -8 EGfleet said:

For anyone interested... the Hiyu is current northbound. 
Barnacle reports her destination is Canada, though he doesn't know where in Canada.  She's just past (as of 9:38) Burrows Island near Anacortes.

Currently off of Sea Island (YVR), looking like she will be rounding Point Grey and headed to Vancouver.

[lifc]

I was inside doing things, missed her going by my house, darn. Maybe she's going to Vancouver Dry-Dock to get her bottom work done so she can be brought back into license for passengers. The 75 cents on the dollar may have helped them make the decision to take her north. The Washington State yards are plugged with work, they have no possibility of getting her in for the work, anytime soon.

We put up a good fight to get her here for our route, it's hard to do when the officials refuse to consider the obvious. The County will rue the day they didn't pay the State the $1.00 for the HIYU. Thanks to all for the support.

The AIS says she's still off point Gray, right now.

[Low Light Mike]

...and she's almost under the Lions Gate Bridge.

I'm guessing that she is headed for Allied Shipyards, just because that's a yard for small ships.

She is stopped off of Seaspan's Vancouver Shipyard.

[FNS]

Mar 19, 2017 16:09:07 GMT -8 Low Light Mike said:

...and she's almost under the Lions Gate Bridge.

I'm guessing that she is headed for Allied Shipyards, just because that's a yard for small ships.

She is stopped off of Seaspan's Vancouver Shipyard.

... And, there's where the HIYU is.

I guess the new owners will need to revise the AIS info.  HIYU WSF to MV HIYU and WSF TERMINAL to EXCURSION (or whatever she's now intended to do).

[Ferryman]

A Facebook group, presumably led by the new owners of the Hiyu has been started. It's called "On the Hiyu", which has already featured photos and videos of the two voyages it has made. Those voyages were of course the one from Eagle Harbour, to Lake Union, and then from Lake Union to North Vancouver BC.

www.facebook.com/OnTheHiyu/

I swung by the Vancouver Shipyard this afternoon to see if I could catch a glimpse of her sitting high and dry in the yard. Sure enough, I could very much see it from the fence, and main security entrance. Didn't want to draw too much attention to myself by taking photos there though. The Facebook site has better photos anyways

[Sammy Sam Samish]

Saw the Hiyu dockside in Lake Union while driving past today. Her pilothouse visor has been painted orange, and the green stripe is now royal blue. 

[Scott2]

Just found the website onthehiyu.com/the-boat/ that has some after renovation pics. Worth a look! Scott

[Kahloke]

Some new photos of Hiyu, courtesy of this article:

seattlerefined.com/lifestyle/photos-ferry-boat-party-boat-tour-a-retired-wa-state-ferry-turned-floating-venue


I wish the new owners success.  I'm glad it wasn't scrapped.